AARON I stood on the hood of the car, knees bent and arms out slightly for balance, trying not to slip on the smooth metal. The night air was cold enough to sting my fingers. The headlights cut through the darkness of the garage, throwing long shadows across the walls and illuminating the red handle hanging from the emergency door release. It swayed slightly, almost taunting me. I grabbed it and gave a firm pull. The mechanism clacked loudly, echoing in the tight space, and I felt the resistance vanish as the door disengaged from the motor. Now it was all muscle and gravity. I reached up, wrapped my hands around the cord, and began to draw it down. The heavy door shuddered, then started to rise along its tracks with a low, grinding rumble.My foot slid on the windscreen, just for a second. My heart jumped into my throat. I caught myself before I went down, boots squealing faintly against the glass. I glanced toward the passenger side and saw Elena roll her eyes, the barest hint of a smirk breaking through her tension. I huffed out a breath, steadied myself, and hunched forward to put my weight into it. Inch by inch, I pulled until the door was fully open and the night beyond spilled into the garage. I jumped down and slid into the driver’s seat, the familiar smell of the car grounding me for a moment. Lucas was already buckled in, feet tucked up, blanket pulled to his chest. Smiled despite everything, a soft ache settling in my chest as I thought about all those long, careful talks Elena and I had shared about when to turn him forward, about safety ratings and recommendations and doing everything just right.I wished fiercely, that our biggest worry was still something that small. He was reading on his tablet, the screen lighting up his face. Probably that story about the monkey again, the one he liked to make us read in funny voices. Elena sat beside him, tablet in her own hands, scrolling through maps and route data for our path to the Haven in Hawthorne Ridge. Her face was tight with focus. She did not look up when I shut my door. I turned my seat slightly so I could face Lucas. “That’s it,” I said, forcing brightness into my voice. “We are ready. Do we have everything?” “Yes, Daddy,” Lucas said, smiling at me before his eyes dropped back to the screen. Elena gave a small nod. “Let’s go.” I pulled out my phone and synced it with the car. With a few quick taps, I set the destination for Hawthorne Ridge and gave the command to start. The engine hummed to life, smooth and quiet, and the vehicle eased out of the bay. Our headlights washed over the driveway and the dark road beyond. It was still night, but the neighborhood glowed with scattered lights. After the army left, our whole block seemed to have woken up at once. Doors were open, engines were running, people were moving with the tense, hurried energy of those who knew they could not stay but did not know what waited ahead. Some cars had already driven off the opposite way. Across the street, the burned-out house still smoldered, thin fingers of black smoke crawling into the sky. The air smelled of ash and something bitter. The teenagers’ bodies lay under tarps near the Olivas’ yard, the shapes beneath them unmistakable. The Olivas themselves were tying suitcases to their utility rover, hands shaking as they worked. I felt a wave of relief that the soldiers’ shots had missed them and their grandchildren. I looked back at our house as we rolled forward. “I forgot to put his bike in the vehicle bay.” Elena finally looked up. The car had already started down the road, joining the slow stream of neighbors leaving or making last-second decisions. She paused, just for a heartbeat, then said quietly, “We will get it when we come back.” I nodded, my throat tightening. “Yeah.” The streets near our home were mostly clear. Many people were still inside, choosing to wait out the trouble rather than risk the unknown. We turned onto Corridor Nine toward Hawthorne Ridge. My biggest fear tightened in my chest, a traffic jam. I had not seen one since I was Lucas’s age, but the thought of being trapped on the road now made my palms sweat. That fear began to fade as we merged onto the Upperbound Lane. Traffic was light, cars spaced evenly, moving with quiet efficiency. The Lowerbound Lane, heading back toward the capital, was packed, a river of red lights stretching into the distance. Still, the software in every vehicle kept things flowing. Even the oldest cars had basic safety systems now. I felt myself slowly relax, sinking back into the seat as the car picked up speed. I tried to believe we were safe inside this metal shell, speeding toward Hawthorne Ridge. I took it as a sign from God. We would be okay. We would reach the Haven, meet with others from our faith, and we would make it through this together. The car jerked violently to the side. A piercing shriek tore through the air a heartbeat later, high and sharp enough to make my ears ring. Lucas screamed. Elena lunged for him, one arm wrapping around his shoulders. I looked up through the windscreen and saw two blazing balls of light streak across the night sky, tearing northward. For one ridiculous second, I thought they might be fighter jets. Then the horizon exploded. Fire blossomed in the distance, massive and terrible, the shockwaves rippling through the darkness. Elena turned forward just in time to see the fireballs rise and then slowly fade, leaving behind a burning scar in the night. “Did they just blow up the river?” she whispered. I did not answer. I did not know how to answer. The shriek came again, softer now, distorted by distance. This time the car did not shake. I twisted in my seat and looked out the back window, my heart hammering, and saw the two glowing orbs streaking back south. Then they vanished. Lucas sobbed, his voice breaking. “I want to go home!” Elena took his hand and smiled at him, even as her eyes shone with fear. “It is going to be okay, sweetheart. We are going to visit our friends at the Assembly Hall.” His cries slowly eased, hitching breaths giving way to quiet whimpers. I felt useless, the worry clawing up my spine. How could I protect any of us from something like this? I closed my eyes for a moment, whispering a prayer I barely understood myself. The car announced we were approaching the off-ramp. We were only minutes away. As we turned onto the side streets of Hawthorne Ridge, the world looked fractured. Some areas still had power, windows glowing warmly, while entire blocks sat in darkness.Fires burned in the distance. People ran from building to building, shadows darting through smoke and flickering light. I had no idea what they were trying to do, only that the chaos from the capital had followed us here. For the first time since we left home, I wondered if coming had been a mistake. “Is that the Hutchinsons’ car?” Elena asked, pointing ahead. I squinted and saw the familiar baby sign stuck to their back window. “Seems to be.” “Good, I am glad someone from home will be there too.”